This invention provides a device designed to reduce head injuries caused by direct impact and by rotational forces among soccer players and others who would not otherwise wear head protection. It integrates a unique configuration of two-ply closed-cell foam padding into a traditional bandana form.
Soccer remains one of the few contact/collision sports for which the players do not regularly use protective headgear. Since 1991, however, medical researchers have documented evidence of brain damage from repeated heading of the ball, and of frequent concussions from head to head collisions. The device described in this application provides a unique solution to the need for soccer head protection. It uses a traditional bandana form of flexible cloth. Then a foam padding is integrated into it for protection of the forehead, sides, and top of the head.
Soccer players receive head injuries from collisions with other players, from collision with goal posts, and from heading the soccer ball. The headgear described in this patent application is designed to reduce the hazards of all three. It is uniquely designed, however, to reduce the hazards of heading the ball. Injuries to the head from heading the ball are caused by the shock of direct impact, and also by rotational forces--the way the head can be jerked around by contact if the blow is not exactly direct, especially if the surface of the head (or a device on the head) grips the ball on contact. Rotational forces are likely the most important contributor to the cumulative damage to the brain caused by heading the ball.
The device described in this patent application incorporates two unique features which reduce the tendency of the ball to rotate the head when it hits it. First, this headgear has a unique two-ply design of synthetic foam, the outer layer of which is sufficiently dense so that it immediately deflects the ball rather than allowing it to grip the head in any way. The outer, more dense, ply also distributes the impact of the strike over a larger area and transmits it to the inner, less dense and more shock-absorbent layer. Secondly, the two-ply foam is configured in the headgear in way specifically designed to allow the ball to deflect easily when the header is not a precisely direct hit. Both features of this device reduce the likelihood of sudden rotation to the head of the wearer.
Soccer league rules currently prohibit the wearing of any hard-shelled or rigid objects. Soccer officials are rightly concerned that such objects worn by one player may cause an injury to another. Thus head protection for soccer players must be made of shock absorbing materials with a soft shell and no rigid components. The device described in this patent uses no hard shell or rigid components.
In order to function, head protection for soccer players not only must adhere to the rules of the game, it must also be acceptable to the players, coaches, and league officials. The device described in this patent is designed to interfere as little as possible with the simple, open-air traditions of soccer. It is also designed to permit players to play exactly as they would play without the device. The bandana form is comfortable to wear, requires no chin strap, stays on the head during action in the game, and requires minimal care--all features essential to acceptance by soccer players, coaches and officials.
In 1987, Romero (U.S. Pat. No. 4,502,156) designed a headband to provide a degree of protection. Others (Lindgren, U.S. Pat. No. 4,910,804; Ashinoff, U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,488) have further developed the headband concept. These headband devices provide protection to the forehead and sides of the head, but they do not include padding for the top of the head. Soccer players are taught to "head" the ball with their foreheads, but in actual game conditions, that is often not what happens. Systematic observations of both professional and amateur players, show that the point of contact between the soccer ball and the player's head is the forehead region less than sixty percent of the time. The device described in this application uniquely provides protection to the forehead, the sides, and the top of the head.
The device patented by Lampe et al (U.S. Pat. No. 5,930,841) does disclose padding for the top, sides, and top of the head. Their device is designed on the model of a traditional helmet. They disclose a chin-strap option and other features which do not take into account the fact that the most serious hazard of heading a soccer ball comes from rotational forces. A chin strap, for example, reduces the likelihood of the device from falling off during play, but it also does not allow the kind of slippage between the device and the head which reduces rotational forces. Further, they describe the device as possibly having "a tacky outer surface, having . . . a coefficient of friction greater than that of wet or moist hair or skin. Such an outer surface is particularly suited for soccer as it slows the rotation of the soccer ball when struck by the head of a player and allows more control over the direction of the ball." What they describe is exactly the opposite of what one needs in a device designed to reduce injuries caused by rotational forces. In this iteration, the Lampe et al device would cause more damage than a bare head.
The device in this application discloses no chin strap specifically because a strap adds to the hazards. In includes a laminated two-ply design and a configuration for the placement of the padding in the device which will reduce the transfer of rotational forces to the player's head.
The bandana form has been used for centuries as a device to cover the head and protect it from the elements, dirt, and insects. Barrientos and Heriberto, in their 1997 patent (U. S. Pat. No. 5,594,956) itemize the great flexibility and utility of the bandana form. However, our patent application goes beyond theirs by devising a system for incorporating foam padding into the traditional bandana form. The device described in this patent provides a degree of protection from blows to the head which theirs does not.
A device patented by Hanks (U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,211) is one example of the versatility of the bandana format. His device, like the one described in this application, discloses a bandana form with padding sewn in. His patent, however, clearly shows that the application he has in mind was protection of the face and neck. His device discloses a rectangular configuration of padding which does not effectively reduce the risk of heading a soccer ball. Further, his specifications for the padding itself will not work in soccer headgear. In fact, if used for soccer headgear, both the disclosed padding and the configuration for the placement of the padding, would likely increase the potential for rotational head injuries.
Hanks further discloses a design of "tying ears" as the means of fastening the device around the wearer's neck. Such a system will not work for soccer because the hard mass created by tying the ears creates an unacceptable hazard for soccer players who might fall on the backs of their heads.
Goldfarg (U.S. Pat. No. 3,618,140) also discloses a "scarf hat" which shares some features with the device described in this patent application as well as with Hanks (U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,211). She, too, discloses padding sewn into a piece of folded cloth. Again, however, because she designed her device as a piece of clothing rather than as protection in sports activities, the design she discloses for the padding as well as the configuration in the hat, will not work for soccer. In the "Background" for her device, she discloses that "the pliable filler material maintains the shape of the hat structure."Because the padding in her device is there to help the hat keep its shape, her patent does not disclose either a description for a padding design or padding's configuration in the hat which would enable someone to make protective headgear for soccer.
Although designed primarily for use by soccer players, the [device designed in this application] will also function to provide a degree of protection in any situation where the wearer does not need or want the full protection of a hard-shell helmet. It is light (1.5 ounces), washable, attractive to wear, compact to store, and it resembles an ordinary bandana. All these features will allow it to be utilized for head protection when a helmet would not be acceptable.